Girdle



Jan. 9, 1951 L. MEYER 2,537,781

GIRDLE Filed Feb. 24, 1948 INVENTOR. Lmw MEYER Patented Jan. 9, 1951 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a girdle, and more particularly to a girdle of the two-way stretch elastic type, having means for preventing bulges at the sides of the legs.

It is well known that the extended use of ordinary girdles by Women are harmful. While the girdle ofiers the necessary abdominal sup port, it binds the legs adjacent the bottom edge of the girdle so that the flesh of the legs just below the hips, develops into bulges or outrowths, so that the width between the outside faces of the legs just below the girdle in greater than the width of the bottom edge of the girdle. In order for the girdle to offer sufficient support for the abdomen, it must be tight, and in being tight it binds the upper part of the legs just as a wire wound around the trunk of a tree would bind it, and with a very similar result. Just as the tree grows wider on either side of the wire, so a woman grows wider just below the bottom edge of the girdle.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a girdle for a woman, to be worn to support the abdomen, which girdle is provided with means preventing the outgrowth of unsightly bulges such as new result from the use of conventional girdles.

It is a further object of this invention to construct a girdle employing about the same amount of elastic material as is now used in conventional girdles, but which has the elastic material differently distributed from that of the conventional girdle, in a manner to have the elastic material engage those portions of the body which require little or no constriction and the nonelastic material engage those portions of tire body which have a natural tendency t bulge.

A further object of the invention proposes constructing the girdle of any length in a manner to be worn as a girdle which extends to the waist line or to a point above the waist line as desired.

In accordance with another object of this invention it is proposed to provide a longer nonelastic back panel which is narrower at the very bottom so as to hug and fit right under the buttocks of the body in a manner to reduce riding up of the garment to a minimum.

Still another object of this invention proposes the provision of a front panel which may be lined and provided with bones depending upon the type of machine upon which the girdle is sewn.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanyin drawing, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawing forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a front View of a the present invention.

Fig, 2is a rear view of the girdle.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the girdle.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view with the front zipper open and one side folded back.

Fig. 5 is an inside view of the front panel of the girdle, per se.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View, taken on the line 66 of Fig. l.

The girdle l0, constructed in accordance with the present invention, comprises a front panel I I, a rear panel l2, right and left side bulge-prevention means l3 and I4 respectively, and an elastic body l5 to which the aforesaid parts are connected by sewing.

The elastic body I5 is of the open net-work girdle, embodying type, stretchable in two directions. As can be seen from Figs. 1 and 2, it extends completelybelow both the front and rear panels, s that the garters It at the front and the garters I! atthe rear are hung elastically. I

The front panel ll is made of a strong nonelastic cloth such as silk, rayon or nylon, as desired. It covers the front of the abdomen and is pretty much the shape thereof. That is to say, the front panel ll starts at its bottom at a point I8 which will be at the crotch, and it expands upwardly from the crotch just as the front wall of the human abdomen expands from the crotch up the lines of the two legs.

The front panel has a center zipper l9 but it may have two laterally placed zippers if desired, or the zipper may be omitted and side zippers in the girdle employed. Opening the zipper does not open the girdle. It exposes two strips of tape 20 and 2| to which are secured hook fasteners 22. Strip 20 is secured to one element of the zipper I 9. Strip 2! flap or strip 23 behind the other zipper element. In fastening the girdle, the hook fasteners are attached first, and then the zipper is closed.

The front panel is stiffened by two hidden flexible steel strips or ribs 24. The front panel is of a single thickness of cloth, turned under at its edges. Its rear margin is reinforced by a strip of tape 25 which does not extend along the top edge of the panel. The top edge has a hem 26. Eachrib 24 is hidden in a pocket formed by two strips or tape sewed to the panel and the is secured to a cloth inner tape is covered by a strip of a soft fur-like cloth 21. The strip 23 is of two thicknesses of rayon or the like cloth covered at the inside by a strip of fur-like cloth 28.

The rear panel I2 is shaped to the confiuration of a human buttocks, but its bottom edges 29 converge rather quickly. It is formed of three pieces 30, 3| and 32 of the same cloth as the panel H. The adjacent edges of the pieces are folded over and overlapped and sewn, providing vertical reinforcement. The complete margin, including the top is reinforced along its inner face by a. tape 33. The top edge is made expandable by having an inserted elastic V 34. The top edge of the V is hemmed. Reinforcing springy strips of ribs 35, hidden in lined pockets similar to the ribs 24, are disposed in the diyergingstop-marginsof the panel l2.

The portions l3 and M are each made of a single triangular piece of the aforesaid material of which panels I! and I2are made; Th'emar gins are inwardly reinforced completely by tape: 36. The rear garters I'll are entirely secured to: this:tape 36; The fr'ontgart'ers are sewed at the corners of the pieces l'3so that'they are partly secured" to the tape 36 and partly to the elastic body IS. The important feature or. the portions? l3 and i4 are that they'depend below the normal line of the elastic body I'Eas canrb'eseen in Figs. 2 and 3' the depending bottom-edge 3.! being sufiiciently low to cover that-part of the human legs which ordinarly bulge with conventional girdles. It is of particular importance that the covering atthe' bulgevportion of 'the hu'man is notelastic.

The body l5 consists oftwo'Y-sha'pe'd' pieces disposed upside down with the stems line. with top points of members t3 and i 4 and with the: branches: of the Y'-sh'aped' piecesconnected beneatlr their-Ont and rear panel's; OneY-shaped piece is clearly shown in Fig-. 3.: Each Y--shaped piece is made of several pieces" ofelastie sewn tbgether; as ca'n be-seen==by the seams38t There is al'so" a joining sea-m 39 below the'center ofi'the rear-panel I2 and a two-ply, two seam joint- 41 below-the point I 'S of the panel l I".

The top of the girdle at the sides are drawn slightly inward forming an inwardly' arched area; M Whi'c'll closely follows the contour of thetop oi the hips at the sid'esoi" the human body;

While I have illustrated and described the-pre ferred embodiment of'myinvention, it is to be understoodthat I do not limit myself to the precise constriction hereindisclosed and the righti is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the=soope of the'invention as defined in the appendedlclaim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A tubular girdle for garmenting the body from an upper waistline edge to below the hips, comprising a front panel of non-elastic material extending downwardly from the upper waist-edge and having side edges converging at a point adjacent the crotch portion of the girdle, a rear panel of non-elastic material extending downwardly from the upper waist-edge in buttock conforming configuration and having side edges converging at a point adjacent the crotch portion of the girdle, said rear panel including a central piece pinned by strengthening seams on each side thereof to a pair of side pieces which extend upwardly and around the side hip portions of the girdle to terminate at a spaced distance from the side edges of the front panel, a two-way stretch elastic body formed of two inverted Y-shaped pieces having their stem' portion extended upwardly on. the sides; of the girdle between the frunt and: rear panels to the upper waist-edgeo'f' the girdle, the divergent arms of. the Y-shaped pieces. extend frontwardly and rearwardly from eachside; where adjacent arms of each are joined on the front and rear center-lines beneath. the front and rear panels, said front and rear panels being secured along their converging side edges to the adjacent outer edges of said Y-shaped" pieces, and a substantially triangular cloth mom:-

securect in position between the divergent;

armsoi each of said; \f-sha'ped pieces atthelowei side: edges. of the girdle, the. lowermost edge of 2 each or said triangular members extending-area ately downwardly below the crotch level of the girdle to: contact the body thighs below'the-hipsi LILLY MEYER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

